McCracken County, Kentucky
McCracken County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2010 census, the population was 65,565. The county seat and only municipality is Paducah. McCracken County was the 78th county formed, having been created in 1825. McCracken County is part of the Paducah, KY-IL Micropolitan Statistical Area. It is part of the Jackson Purchase, located at the extreme western end of Kentucky. History McCracken County was founded in 1825, from Hickman County and was named for Captain Virgil McCracken of Woodford County, Kentucky, who was killed in the Battle of Frenchtown in southeastern Michigan during the War of 1812.http://www.kyenc.org/entry/m/McCRA02.html The Battle of Paducah occurred in McCracken County on March 25, 1864. The skirmish between the Union and Confederate troops ended in a Confederate victory. Altogether 140 men fell in the battle. Law and government (Federal) McCracken County is represented federally as District 1 from the Commonwealth of Kentucky. (State) In the Kentucky General Assembly McCracken is represented by the entirety of District 3 representing Paducah; a portion of District 2 representing the south of the county and Graves County; most of the county outside of Paducah by District 1 which stretches down the Mississippi River counties of Ballard, Carlisle, Hickman and Fulton; lastly, a tiny sliver of the east of McCracken County near Reidland is represented by the 6th District (Centered on Marshall & Lyon counties). In the State Senate, all of McCracken County is currently represented by the 2nd District and its State Senator Danny Carroll ®. Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (7.2%) is water. The county's northern border with Illinois is formed by the Ohio River, and its northeastern border by the Tennessee River. Adjacent counties *Massac County, Illinois (north) *Livingston County (northeast) *Marshall County (east) *Graves County (south) *Carlisle County (southwest) *Ballard County (west) National protected area * Clarks River National Wildlife Refuge (part) Demographics |align-fn=center |footnote=U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2013 }} As of the census of 2000, there were 65,514 people, 27,736 households, and 18,444 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 30,361 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 86.76% White, 10.88% Black or African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.51% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.40% from other races, and 1.18% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.06% of the population. There were 27,736 households out of which 29.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.10% were married couples living together, 12.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.50% were non-families. 29.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.86. In the county, the population was spread out with 23.40% under the age of 18, 7.90% from 18 to 24, 28.10% from 25 to 44, 24.70% from 45 to 64, and 15.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 90.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.30 males. The median income for a household in the county was $33,865, and the median income for a family was $42,513. Males had a median income of $36,417 versus $22,704 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,533. About 11.40% of families and 15.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.90% of those under age 18 and 12.30% of those age 65 or over. Education Public elementary and secondary education in the county is provided by two school districts: *McCracken County Public Schools, which serves the entire county except for the bulk of the city of Paducah, served by: *Paducah Public Schools Several private schools also provide K-12 education. These institutions include the St. Mary System and Community Christian Academy. Higher education is provided by West Kentucky Community and Technical College in Paducah, part of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System. Like all other schools in this system, WKCTC offers associate degrees. The state's largest public university, the University of Kentucky, operates a branch campus of its College of Engineering at WKCTC. Murray State University offers bachelor's degree programs and master's degrees. A new 43,000 square foot facility located on a 23-acre campus adjacent to WKCTC was opened in 2014. In addition, Lindsey Wilson College offers a human services degree at WKCTC and McKendree University operates a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree program. Communities City *Paducah (county seat) Census-designated places *Farley (formerly Woodlawn-Oakdale) *Hendron *Massac *Reidland Unincorporated communities *Camelia *Cecil *Cimota City *Freemont *Future City *Grahamville *Hardmoney *Heath *Hovekamp *Krebs *Lone Oak *Maxon *Melber (partly in Graves County) *Ragland *Rossington *Rudolph *Saint Johns *Sheehan Bridge *West Paducah *Woodville Politics See also *National Register of Historic Places listings in McCracken County, Kentucky References External links *McCracken County government's website *McCracken County Sheriff Category:McCracken County, Kentucky Category:Counties of Kentucky Category:Kentucky counties on the Ohio River Category:Paducah micropolitan area Category:1825 establishments in Kentucky Category:Settlements established in 1825